barrott



Sept; 1953 w. E. BARROTT, JR, ET AL Re. 23,718

' CASKET CARRYING TRUCK Original Filed March 2'7, 1950 V 5 SheetsSheet 1 Fig.

EHW W1 William E. Barron; Jn

E William E. BarroMSz l8 INVENTORS BY .s

Sept. 29, 1953 CASKET CARRYING TRUCK 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed March 27 1950 Q A vn mm mm A d m H r i m u u u H F. J M W lllll II T llll llL I l I u u 2 mm QM Nm 3 l/l/l/ William E. Barron; J1:

William E Burro/r, 5?.

, INVENTORS BY Manny 15 m Sept. 29, 1953 w R JR" ET AL Re. 23,718

CASKET CARRYING TRUCK Original Filed March 2'7, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 w J ioww mm w,

Fig. 5

1mm w 1. l .m 1 m,

I mlw mmn ama Reiuued Sept. 29, 953

2am I CASKET caaamo raven William E. Ema, Jr., who William E.

Barrett, Sr., Aurora, Ind.

Original No. 2,593,717, dated April 22, 1952, Se-

rial No. 152,084, March 27, 1950. Application for reissue March 23, 1953, Serial No. 344,262

' 9 Claims. (01. 214 -75) Matter enclosed in heavy brackets appears in the original patent but forms no part of this reissue specification; matter printed in italics indicates the additions made by reissue.

This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in a casket carrier and more speciflcally pertains to an improved truck body and hoist construction specifically adapted for the eillcacious elevating and lowering of caskets or other objects for storing the same on racks in truck bodies and the like.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved construction of hoist specifically adapted to facilitate the handling of heavy objects such as caskets, and particularly for raising and lowering the same to enable their position upon or their removal from a rack assembly provided in a truck body.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a hoist construction in conformity with the foregoing object which shall be specifically adapted to coact with'a rack assembly in a truck body, whereby the object elevated by the hoist may be readily slid from the latter to the rack and vice versa.

p More generally, it is a prime object of the invention to provide a rack and hoist construction for trucks whereby heavy objects may be raised and lowered, stored upon the rack assembly or withdrawn therefrom with a. minimum of effort and with a minimum expenditure of labor.

Yet another important object is the provision of a truck construction having an improved rack assembly and hoist construction adapted for more effective arrangement in the body of the truck to improve the utilization of the same.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide an improved hoist construction for a truck body which is adapted for mounting at a door in the truck body and having an elevator positioned on opposite sides of the door together with means for operating the two elevators in unison for lifting or lowering an object mounted thereon.

Yet, another important object of the invention is to provide a hoist construction for truck bodies wherein the hoist lifting cable is mounted in the body in an improved manner; wherein a pair of hoist cables are operated in unison on opposite sides of a. door in the truck body; and wherein improved means are provided for maintaining the operation of the cables in unison without in any way obstructing the door opening.

And a final important object to be specifically enumerated herein, is to provide an improved construction of supporting rack assembly and object hoist which shall'be mounted in a truck body in such a manner as to utilize to the maximum the contents or volume of the body for storage of objects therein, while maintaining the provision of a hoist to facilitate raising and lowering these objects to their proper position on the rack assembly. Y

These, together with various ancillary features and objects and features of the invention, which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, areattained by the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a rear elevational view of a truck body having the principles of the present invention incorporated therein;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the arrangement of Figure 1, taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a broken horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional detail view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 4-4 of Figure 1 and illustrating in particular the construction of one of the conveyor mechanisms forming a part of the hoist;

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 5-5 of Figure 4 and showing certain structural details of the conveyor assembly;

and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional detail view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 6-5 of Figure 2 and showing certain structural details of the rack assembly of the invention. I

In its preferred application, the invention deals with the transportation of burial caskets in highway trucks and trailers of standard width, and utilizes the circumstance that conventional caskets are approximately as long as conventional vehicle bodies are wide, and that conventional caskets have sufllcient longitudinal stilfness to be self-supporting when placed crosswise in the body and supported at opposite ends. The invention is predicated upon the concept of utilizing pairs of horizontal support rails arranged in vertical rows on each body side wall. The rails are generally coextensive in length with the body but terminate short of the open end of the vehicle to leave a space for the preferred type of elevating mechanism which is positioned adjacent the open end. The rails engage opposite ends of the caskets and support them in rows one above the other during transport.

some

For raising and lomeflng'the caskets into transport position on the support rails. a pair of relatively short horizontal elevator rails is positioned immediately adjacent the open end of the body, one rail being adiacent each sidewall.

Hoisting mechanism is interconnected to the opposedelevatorrailstoraiseorlowertherails insynchronismtoeleoatethecaskettothe level of the selected pairs of support rails. when elevated into reois ry with the selected pair of support rails, the caskets may be skidded directly from theelevatorrailstothe support rails orlrorn the support rails to the elevator rails for sale, convenient loading or unloading.

Since the elevator rails are closely adjacent elevator rails and extending across the body,

4 bar II of rubber or thelike, which thus prevents rubbing oi the casket "against the side of the truck body and avoids any danger of the finish of the caskets.

In handling such heavy objects as coifln caskets, which frequently weigh 200 to 300 pounds, it is usually found to employ the services of two or more workmen in order to elevate the casket to the desired level. and then store the same upon therack ly or withdraw the caskets. therefrom. Owing to the cramped quarters involved, such a procedure is laborious, and in view of the .number of workpreferably in a plane remote from the usable body space.

Referring now more specifically to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerah designate similar parts throughout the various views, it will be seen by reference to Figure 1 that the invention is illustrated as embodied in a truck oi any suitable construction having a body indicated generally by the numeral ii, the same having an open rear and provided with any suitable door construction, not shown, but which may be of conventional design.

It is to be here understood that although the principles of this inventionhave been shown as applied to a struck bodyspeciilcally adapted for the handling, storage and transportation of wooffln caskets or the like, and this body is specificially designed to permit the most efiicient utilization of the entire volume of the body for storing and handling a maximlnn number of caskets therein, that the invention is likewise applicable to any other truck body and-especially one provided with rack assemblies on which relatively heavy objects are adapted to-be molmted and transported. V

As illustrated in the drawings. the interior of the side walls of the truck body II, as shown more clearly in Figure 6, are provided with suitable vhorizontally disposed brackets II in the form of angle members, these brackets being adapted to support longitudinally extending angle strips which arethus supported in parallel spaced relation to the sides of the truck, and extend longitudinally of the same in a horizontal plane. As will be readily understood, these strips .are disposed in pairs on'opposite sides of the truck. as shown in Figure 1, and these pairs, in turn, are mounted in vertically spaced arrangement to thus provide a rack assembly consisting of a plurality of rails which are adapted to slidably receive such objects as comn caskets. shown at it, which are adapted to he slid longitudinally of'the rails andbesupported by apairof rails,

menrequired,isn expensive,aswellas damage to the finish of the In order to enable the easy. handling oi the caskets by a single workman to enable'the' ready disposition of the caskets at any level of these rack assemblies, including immediately adjacent the roof of the truck improved hoist assembly mounted in the truck bodyinanovelmannerandcoactingspecincally with the rack assembly as set forthhereinafter.

As will be apparentfrom Figure 2, the-ends of the rails ll of the rack y terminate withinthe body of thetruck inspacedrelationto the open rearendorthe doorofthetruckbody. In thespacebetweenthe'openrearendofthetruck tocause bodyandtheendoftheraimthereismounted a hoist assembly of a novel construction and disposed in-an improved mannerin the'hody of the truck. Obviously, the hoist assembly could take various forms within the'scope of this in-,

vention, that form illustrated in the drawings constituting a very satisfactory arrangement.

'AswiilbcapparentfromFigures2and3,the

all in vertical spaced relation as will be apparent from Figure 1.

As above noted, the rails M are supported in spaced relation to the side walls of the truck body, and secured to the side walls in any suitable manner and slightly above each of the rails ll, are longitudinally extending strips ll of wood or metal or any other suitable material, the same being provided with a suitable cushioning mmhoist assembly comprises two elevator assemblies one disposed on each side of the truck body and on opposite sides of the door opening in the rear of the truck. These two elevator lies are adapted to be. operated in unison, that is. in

timed relation to each other for av purpose which will be presently apparent.

Each of these elevator assemblies comprises a pair of vertically disposed channel members 22 constructed of any suitable material, these channel members being disposed in parallel spaced relation against the sides of the truck body. Each channel member may conveniently comprise a flat vertically disposed base 24 having integral or,

if desired, separately formed by rigidly attached parallel, vertically side walls 26, the ends of these side walls having allgnfi vertically disposed inturned flanges 28 whose extremities are spaced from each other to provldea vertically disposed slot or opening therebetween. It is to be understood that the base portion 14 of the channel members is adapted to be rigidly secured in 7 any desired manner to the inner surface of the truck side walls.

At their upper ends. the pair of channel members I! which form each of the elevator assemblies, have joumaled therein and therebetween a horizontally disposed shaft ll, see Figures 2 and 3, to which is fixedly secured a pair of pulleys or sprocket wheels between the side walls 28 of each of the channel-members, the peripheries of thme wheels extending through the slot between the flanges 28. A second shaft I4 is suit ably Journaled between transversely disposed frame members 36 which support the'body of the truck, this shalt likewise being provided with suitable sprockets it and with a hand crank Ill body, there is provided an which may be conveniently mounted beyond truck for convenient access and use.

A sprocket chain. 42 is entrained over each of the pulleys 32 and 38 and positioned with one flight of the chain within the channel member 22, and with the other flight thereof being dis posed without but parallel to the channel memher as will be apparent from Figures 1 and5.

A pair of guidesare slidably received in the channel members 22 of each of the elevators. these guides, as shown in Figure 5 consisting of a substantially T-shaped plate or body portion 44, the stem of this T-shaped plate or body por- .the

tion extending between the. flanges 28, and having the opposite ends oi the chain 42 secured thereto, while the cross arms 46 of the T-shaped member are provided with laterally extending axles 48 to which are secured rollers 50, as will be apparent from Figures 4 and 5. Thepairs of rollers 5!) for each of, the slides 44 is thus rollably received between the base plate 24 and one of the flanges 28 and adjacent one of the side walls 26 of each of the channel member 22, whereby the slides are journaled and retained for easy sliding and rolling movement within the channel members which thus constitute guides for the same.

Welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the vertical faces of the stem portions of the slides 44, is an angle member 52, which is thus disposed in a horizontal position and supported by the pair of slides of an elevator assembly. As will be readily seen from Figure 3, it is contemplated that the angle members 52 shall constitute rails or supports which are adapted to in eifect form continuations and extensions of a pair of oppositely disposed rails ll of the rack assembly.

As will now be readily understood, upon rotation of the shaft 34 by the hand crank 40, the sprocket chains 42 thereof will be rotated about their axles 34 and 3D, and over the pulleys thereon, to thus raise or lower the supporting rails 52. The construction above described is duplicated in the two elevator assemblies, except that but one of the shafts 34 will be provided with'a hand crank, the other elevator assembly deriving its motion from a timed connection with'the first assembly.

For this purpose, the shafts 30 are provided with pulleys, sprocket wheels or the like 54 upon their outer extremities, and a connecting belt or sprocket chain 56 is entrained over these pulleys to thereby synchronize rotation of the sprocket chains of the two elevator assemblies, and maintain the elevator rails 52 of the two assemblies in the same horizontal plane.

It is to be clearly understood that in place of the sprocket or belt chain connecting the two shafts 30, of the two elevator assemblies, there could be provided any conventional form of driving connection including gearingv and the like.

From the foregoing, it will now be seen that a pair of rails 52 will be raised or lowered in unison,

so that in the lowered position a casket I6 or other object may be slid and, caused to rest upon the rails, whereby the two elevator assemblies may be raised in unison to cause the rails 52 to register with the proper set of rack rails l4, whereupon the casket may he slid from the elevator assembly onto the rack assembly. In this operationof the device, it is evident that no lifting movement of the casket is required in transferring the same between the elevator and rack assembly.

As will be more clearly seen from Figures 3-5, it is preferred to provide a guard or shielding housing 58, in the form of a channel member and adapted-tor; attachment against the base plate 24 of each orthe channel assemblies 22- in any desired manner, this guard or shielding housing serving to enclose the vertical flight of the sprocket chain 42 which is disposed within the channel member.. .Ilhus, that flight of the chain which is disposed within the channel member 22 is retained between the pair oi-rollers 50 secured toeach oi the axles 48, and is maintained in a substantially straight vertical line against the base plate 24. This prevents kinking or buckling oi the chain, guides the same during its operation, and prevents any possibility of the chain becoming entangled with or interfering with movement of any part or the slides 44.

It may be here, observed that the supporting brackets I2, the strips l8, therails l4, the slides and the rails 52 may be of any desired material,

changes will readily occur to those skilled in the.

art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not de-. sired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, but all suitable modiI-,

fications and equivalents may be resorted to, fall ingwithin the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A, truck body and hoist construction comprising a truck body, a series of vertically spaced horizontal rack rails mounted on said'body, said body having an opening, said rails terminating in spaced relation to said opening, a hoist mounted in said body between said rails and said opening, said hoist including vertically disposed elevators on opposite sides of said openings, horizontal rails on said elevators selectively registrable with said rack rails, means interconnecting said elevators for synchronized movement, operating means for said elevator, each elevator including a air of vertical channel members secured to said truck body, slides movable vertically in each channel member, said elevator rails being mounted on said slides, means for vertically moving said slides.

2. A truck body and. hoist construction comprising a truck body, a series of vertically spaced horizontal rack rails mounted on said body, said body having an opening, said rails terminating in spaced relation to said opening, a hoist mounted in said body between said rails and said opening, said hoist including vertically disposed elevators on opposite sides of said openings, horizontal rails on said elevators selectively registrable with said rack rails, means interconnecting said elevators for synchronized movement, operating means for said elevator, each elevator including a pair of vertical channel members secured to said truck body, slides movable vertically in each channel member, said elevator rails being mounted on said slides, means for vertically moving said slides, said last means comprising upper and lower pulleys, a sprocket chain entrained over said pulleys and secured to said slides.

3. A truck body and hoist construction comprising a-truck body, a series of vertically spaced horizontal rack 'rails mounted on said body, said body having an opening, said rails terminating in saris on opposite sides of said openings, horizontal falls on said elevators selectively re'gistrable with said rack rails, means interconnecting said elevators -i'or synchronized movement, operating means for said elevator, each elevator including a-pair oi vertical channel members secured to said truck body,-slides movable vertically in each channel member, said elevator rails being mounted on said slides, means for vertically moving said slides. said slides having rollers received in said channel members. 4

4. A truck body and hoist construction comprising a truck body, a series or vertically spawd horizontal rack rails mounted on said-body, said body having an opening, said rails terminating in spaced relation to said opening, a hoist mounted in said body between said rails and said opening, said hoist including vertically disposed elevators on opposite sides or said openings, horizontal rails on said elevators selectively registrable with said rack rails, means interconnecting said elevators i'or synchronized movement, operating means for said elevator, each elevator including a pair of vertical channel members secured to said truck body, slides movable vertically in each channel member, said elevator rails being mounted on said slides, means for vertically moving said slides, said last means comprising upper and lower pulleys, a sprocket chain entrained over said pulleys and secured to said slides, said chain being slidable in said channel member, a housing in said channel member inclosing said chain.

5. A truck body and hoist construction comprising a truck body, a series oi! vertically spaced horizontal rack rails mounted on said body, said body having an opening.'said rails terminating in spaced relation to said opening, a hoist mounted in said body. between said rails and said opening, said hoist including vertically disposed elevators on opposite sides of said openings, horizontal rails on said elevators selectively registrable with said rack rails, means interconnecting said elevators tor synchronized movement, operating means for said elevator, each elevator including a pair of vertical channel members secured to said truck body, slides movable vertically in each channel member, said elevator rails being mounted on said slides, means for vertically moving said slides, said last means comprising upper and lower pulleys, a sprocket chain entrained over said pulleys and secured to said slides, said interconnecting means being operatively connected to the upper pulleys of each of said elevators.

6. In a truck or trailer body having opposed side walls and u rearward opening, a series of vertically spaced horizontal support rails mounted in pairs along the respective body side walls, said rails being generally coextensive with the length of said side walls but terminating forward of said rearward opening, said rails being adapted to engage the ends of caskets and to support the some in rows one above the other during transportation, vertical guide means on each side of the body, said guide means being disposed in the space intervening between the rearward ends of the support rails and said rearward opening, a pair of horizontal elevator rails, one on each side 01 the body, eochruil being interconnected to a guide means, means for vertically moving said elevator rails on the guide means to positions selectively registrdble with each of the support rails and means for synchrov s nizing the vertical movement of said rails, said last named means being associated with said body but being sufllciently remote from the area: immediately to the rear of said rows of coshetsthut the loading and unloading of caskets onto and jromsoid support rails is not impeded by said means.

' 7. In a truck or trailer body for transporting uncrotedcasketasaidbodghuvingsidewollsand a. rear opening, horizontally disposed casket support rails mounted in vertically spaced pairs at the respective inner sidesol said side walls with the supportraileol cad: pair being opposite one anotherthe support rails of each pair being relatively extending from said side walls u'distunce suihcient to receive and support therespectiveoppositeendsotccsketsplaced thereon, the rear ends of said support rails terminating in spaced relation to said rear opening, anelevator disposed at each side of said body between said rear opening and the rear ends of said support rails, each elevator including a horizontally disposed elevatuble rail and means to guide said elevut bie rail vertically, the respective elevotable rails adapted to receive and support the respective opposite ends of a casket, hoisting mechanism operotively interconnecting the respective elevutdble rails for simultaneous movement thereof into positions in which said elevotoble rails constitute endwise extensions of the respective pairs of support rails, whereby a casket may be slid onto or from selected pairs of support rails from and onto said elevdtable rails, and said elevutoble rails being structurally independent of one another and extending inwardly from the respective side walls of said body approximately the some distance as said support rails. whereby the rearward opening of said body is not obstructed by said elevotable rails.

8. In a truck or trciler'body for transporting uncrcted caskets, said body having posed side walls and d rearward opening, horieontal support rails mounted in'vertically spaced pairs at the respective inner sides of said side walls, the rear ends of said support rails terminating in spaced relationship to said rearward opening, elevator means disposed in the space between the rear ends 0/ said support rails and said rearward opening, said elevator means including a pair of vertically disposed elevator guides, one guide being adjacent to each side wall, a pair of horizontally disposed elevutuble rails, said elevotcble rails being structurally independent of one another, said elevatuble rails mounted one on each elevotor guide and adapted to'support an end of a casket. hoisting mechanism operatively interconnecting the respective elevat'able rails for moving ,4

said elevotable rails vertically to stationary positions in which they constitute selectively endwise ertensions of each pair of said support rails, whereby a casket supported at its opposite end by the respective elevotable rails may be slid onto a selected pair of support rails. and means operatively interconnecting said elevatable rails for synchronizing the vertical movement thereof, the latter named means being but suglciently removed from the support rails so as not to obstruct said rearward body opening to interfere with the loading and unloading of caskets onto and from said support rails.

9. In a truck or trailer body for transporting uncrated caskets, said body having pposed side walls and d rearward opening, ticully spaced undhorizontdlly disposed pairs of support rails, the support rails of each pair disposedinsaidbog elevator rails, said elevator rails being struc- 1 turally independent of one another, each elevator rail being slidably engaged with an elevator guide and adapted to support an end of a casket, hoisting mechanism operatively connected to said elevator rails, said hoisting mechanism being adapted to move the respective elevator rails vertically along said elevator guides to positions in which said elevator rails are selectively registrable with each pair of said support rails, and

means for synchronizing the vertical movement of said elevator rails, the last named means being removed sufiiciently from said support rails so that the rearward body opening is not obstructed 10 thereby to interfere with loading and unloading of caskets onto and from said support rails.

WILLIAM E. BARRO'I'I, JR. W. E. BARRO'IT, SR,

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